She doesn’t know, he thought wistfully.
She doesn’t know the role she will play in the Panic of All.
It seemed sad that she would never live to know it.
The partygoers were almost gone. The moment was almost here.
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
The gymnasium lights finally went out. Ann Marie stood watchingfrom the sidewalk as Principal Cody followed the last of the students out ofthe building. She waited until the remaining cars in the school parking lotdrove away. The big building was soon silently silhouetted against the moonlit autumnsky.
Ann Marie sighed deeply. Everybody had left, and there had beenno sign of the man she was watching for. Even the streets around the schoolwere quiet now. The stray trick-or-treaters must have given up and gone home.She knew she ought to feel relieved that all the kids seemed to be safely ontheir way home, but she was struggling with a sense of futility.
It’s over, she thought. I waited out here for nothing.
Even so, she decided to take one more foot patrol around thebuilding just to be sure that all the activity had ended.
As she left the sidewalk and headed across the parking lot, AnnMarie wondered if she should have stationed herself somewhere else tonight. She’dcome to Pater High School on her own, and when Sheriff Wainwright had asked herto stay, that’s what she’d done. Now it seemed extremely unlikely that shewould play any kind of a part in the killer’s capture—if he even wasgoing to be captured tonight
She doubted that he would be. So far, there had been no news ofany arrest or even dangerous activity, nothing more than the ordinary Halloweenpranks.
Ironically, it was as though the curfew was finally in effect.
Agent Paige’s plan struck her as less and less sound the more shethought about it. Was Ann Marie’s senior right in thinking that the news of thekiller’s capture would provoke the real killer into action—and maybesloppiness?
Ann Marie knew all about Agent Paige’s celebrated instincts. Butshe had taken her share of psychology courses at the academy, and based on whatshe’d learned, she questioned her senior partner’s theory. She thought it morelikely that the killer would breathe a sigh of relief at the law’s mistake and lielow for a while, maybe even until next year.
But what do I know?
For all she knew, the killer had been caught already but noannouncement had been made. If so, how would she even find out about it? AgentPaige probably didn’t even know she was back in Winneway—unless SheriffWightman had told her. And if Agent Paige did find out about her return,of course she’d be furious.
Maybe even with good reason, Ann Marie thought.
What did she think she was doing, anyway? When she’d calledSheriff Wightman, she’d probably distracted him from whatever he’d been doingat the time, and Agent Paige would certainly be distracted if she found out shewas here.
Distractions were the last things the team needed right now.
They really needed to focus.
Face facts, kid, she told herself. It’s time to get outof everyone’s way.
Should she maybe check back into the motel where she and AgentPaige had been staying and get a good night’s sleep before driving back toQuantico? No, that might mean running into Agent Paige in the morning. And thatwas about the last thing Ann Marie wanted.
The best thing to do was drive back tonight.
But as she came around the side of the building, something caughther peripheral vision.
She turned quickly to look.
All she saw was the building still standing there in stern, stonysilence, looking darker by the moment.
I’m sure I saw something, she told herself.
She stared some more until she glimpsed a fleck of light throughthe gym windows. From where she stood, it looked like a firefly wafting aboutinside, popping into view and then out again.
It looked too small and weak to be a regular flashlight.
Was it maybe the little flashlight from someone’s cell phone?
If so, who was in there, and why?
She stood there staring until her eyes felt strained, but shedidn’t see the moving light again. She began to doubt her own eyes.
Probably just a trick of the light, she thought.
Maybe it was just a reflection from a nearby streetlamp.
Still, it made Ann Marie distinctly uneasy.
As she continued on her way around the building, she took out herown pocket flashlight and shined it ahead of her. Everything was quiet, butwhen she came near a side entrance something looked odd about one of thosedoors. When she checked, she saw that one of the doors was propped slightlyopen. A book had been placed there, preventing the door from completelyclosing.
Her heart beat faster.
Someone seemed to have deliberately kept the door from shuttingand locking.
Did that mean someone was in the building—someone who wasn’tsupposed to be in there?
Ann Marie thought about maybe calling Agent Paige or SheriffWightman.
But what if they sent backup over what turned out to be nothingat all, wasting precious time and manpower? Did she really want to face AgentPaige’s wrath over such a distraction? Worse, did she want to causeanother distraction when so much was at stake?
She pushed the door open and stepped inside. Everything seemedquiet. Not wanting to make any noise, she let the door close softly against thebook and stood there for a moment, listening. She could hear no one movingabout inside. She didn’t want to call out and ask whether anyone was there.
She realized that the hallway in front of her was dimly lit by apale overhead light, so she turned off her little flashlight and pocketed it.Even in the weak light, she could see that this hallway connected with anotherand there were probably plenty of places to hide. Announcing her presence wouldgive whoever might be here a chance to do that, and Ann Marie would surelynever find him.
Glad to be wearing soft-soled shoes, Ann Marie managed to walk soquietly that she could barely hear her own footsteps. As she approached a spotwhere the hallway branched into a T, she thought she heard something odd. Shestopped in her tracks and watched and listened. There seemed to be a faintglow, as if from a stronger flashlight, from around the